Jordan Travel Guide

Welcome to the Middle East’s adventure capital. Jordan, so long thought of purely as a historical destination, has been shrugging off this label and energetically rebranding itself in recent years to emerge as an adrenalin playground. From scaling the cliffs of Wadi Rum to hiking through the stunning Dana Nature Reserve or diving in the Red Sea; Jordan has enough thrills and spills to keep even the most enthusiastic adventure-seeker happy.

But if it is ruins you’re after, Jordan still serves them up in bucketloads. This may be a young country but the land itself is ancient and Jordan’s wealth of relics is without equal. From the monumental mastery of Greco-Roman Jerash, to the exuberant frescoes of Umayyad-era Qasr Amra, this is a nation simply brimming over with history. Petra is undisputedly Jordan’s crown jewel; a vast site of pink-tinged façades hewn into rock and cleverly hidden from the world by its wily Nabataean crafters. The massive monuments here are matched equally by its setting amid majestic craggy sandstone outcrops. Jordan may be tiny but it sure does pack a punch.

Situated slap in the middle of a neighbourhood not known for its friendly relations, Jordan is easily the Middle East’s most relaxed country to visit. It is an enticing and curious mix of old and new. From the glass-and-steel high-rises of Amman to the goat-hair tents of the Bedouin in Wadi Rum, Jordan has managed to steer a path through diffi cult and complex situations to obtain the middle ground. Ancient yet young, modern and progressive yet still focused on preserving tradition, Jordan shines a hopeful light on what this region, as a whole, can achieve.

This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF